Last year Uriah Heep came to town and played to a sizeable crowd at Summerfest. This year they got stuck at the Cousins Amphitheater, playing a free show at the Wisconsin State Fair. This stage is an "amphitheater" in name only. The stage is barely bigger than my living room and kitchen put together, and a sky glider literally goes right over the front of the stage. Luckily, this didn't seem to bother the boys in the band one bit, as they seemed to be having a good time and put on a great show in front of a couple hundred fans.
They opened with a blazing "I'm Ready" from the excellent new Into The Wild album. Yup, they are still recording new material, this one being their 23rd studio release. "Return To Fantasy" and "Stealin' " brought the crowd to their feet.
Speaking of the new album, they did "Money Talk," "Nail On The Head" plus the title track, and all went over well, but it was the old songs people came to hear. "The Wizard," "Lady In Black," "Gypsy" and "Look At Yourself" really got people going, as did deeper cuts like "Rainbow Demon". Best song of the night was a great version of "July Morning". Bernie Shaw can definitely hit the notes! An encore of "Easy Livin' " sent us all back out to the fair on a high note.
Uriah Heep has always been referred to as kind of a a poor man's Deep Purple, but the organ sounds of Phil Lanzon and the guitar riffs of Mick Box give Heep their own sound. Some bands playing a State Fair anywhere, and especially on a stage like this one could've just phoned it in, but Heep didn't tonight. The only down point was an unnecessary drum solo. Other than that, it was a great show.
For those who were fans of Uriah Heep in the past, but might have drifted away from the band over the years, check out their new album. One of the best of the year!
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